A gem of a comment from NZ Prime Minister John Key:
“We fully believe in the freedom of speech and freedom of rights in this country. I’d hate to see that overshadow what has been a growing and developing relationship.”
The comment was made in response to a protest by Green Party leader Dr Russel Norman where a Chinese Security Detail took a Tibetan Flag from him and roughed him up a little. The reality if Russel Norman probably did get a little close for comfort of some of the security guards.
However, to make a statement that we care about our own rights and freedoms but not enough to let it overshadow the money we are making through economic relationships with a dictatorship is rather concerning. I recognise it is not our place to dictate policy in other countries and we would not expect other countries to dictate policy to us, but, to completely ignore and not mention the extreme human rights abuses that occur in China in the name of ensuring free trade is rather concerning. Good treatment of workers, fair pay, and respecting human rights should be a condition of any free trade agreement not something to ignore as they could overshadow it.
